Generation of visual representations for electronic content items

Abstract

Generation and presentation of visual representations of search results may be provided. In response to any type of search for which one or more content or information items are returned, a preview image is obtained or generated and displayed in a graphical user interface for allowing a user to preview documents or other information items returned for the search query. The displayed preview image may be a selectable object such that selection of the displayed preview image allows the user to navigate to or launch the content item, for example, a searched document, corresponding to the preview image.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method of generating a visual representation of a content item, comprising,
 receiving a content item;   if a preview image is available for the content item, presenting the available preview image in a user interface as a visual representation of the content item; and   if a preview image is not available for the content item, dynamically generating one or more preview images for the content item, and presenting the dynamically generated one or more preview images in a user interface as a visual representation of the content item.   
     
     
         2 . A method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving a selection of the displayed preview image and allowing navigation to the content item. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein dynamically generating a preview image for the content item includes generating the preview image by one or more of:
 generating a preview image from an image extracted from the content item;   generating the preview image from a plurality of images extracted from the content item;   generating the preview image from a screenshot of a portion of the content item;   generating the preview image from a plurality of screenshots of one or more portions of the content item;   generating the preview image with a background color and a portion of text extracted from the content item;   generating the preview image from an object extracted from the content item;   generating the preview image from text contained in the content item as a tag cloud where words with a large number of occurrences in the content item are rendered with larger fonts, but common words that occur in any content item may be ignored;   generating the preview image as a cropped version of an image that lives in the content item;   generating the preview image as a collage of a plurality of objects contained in the content item;   generating the preview image as a collage of screenshots of N pages, slides, or sheets contained in the content item;   generating the preview image as quote extracted from the content item;   generating the preview image as a tag cloud of the most used numbers in a spreadsheet document;   generating the preview image as a picture obtained from an external source that represents the most frequent terms in the content item; and   generating the preview image as an auto-generated table, chart, or other visual representation of one or more data items contained in the content item   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , prior to dynamically generating a preview image for the content item, identifying one or more components of the content item as preview image candidates that may be included in the dynamically generated preview image. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein dynamically generating the preview image includes generating the preview image from one or more of the one or more components of the content item identified as preview candidates. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , prior to identifying one or more components of the content items as preview candidates, selecting a preview image source for obtaining one or more components of the content item as preview image candidates. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , prior to selecting a preview image source, retrieving one or more sources for obtaining one or more preview image candidates for the content item. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , prior to retrieving one or more sources for obtaining one or more preview image candidates, determining a file format for the content item for determining one or more sources that may be used for obtaining one or more preview image candidates. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising ranking the preview image candidates according to one or more ranking variables. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising weighting each of the one or more ranking variables so that a given ranking variable may be weighted more than another ranking variable in determining whether a given preview image candidate may be included in the generated preview image. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein a ranking model comprised of a given weighting of each of the one or more ranking variables is selected for application to each of the one or more ranking variables by one or more of:
 a preview image service operative for generating the one or more preview images;   a client application for which the one or more preview images are generated; and   a user for which the one or more preview images are generated.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more ranking variables may include one or more of:
 a resolution associated with each of the one or more preview image candidates;   a colorfulness associated with each of the one or more preview image candidates;   a position of each of the one or more preview image candidates in the content item;   a ratio of height versus width for each of the one or more preview image candidates;   a uniqueness of each of the one or more preview image candidates in the content item;   a number of people depicted in each of the one or more preview image candidates; and   a number of objects contained in each of the one or more preview image candidates.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising selecting a highest ranked preview image candidate for inclusion in the generated preview image. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein, if a ranking for a given preview image candidate is less than a threshold ranking, rejecting the given ranked preview image candidate for inclusion in the generated preview image. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein, if no preview image candidate for the content item is ranked at or above the threshold ranking, providing an alternative preview image for the content item, and presenting the alternative preview image in a user interface as a visual representation of the content item. 
     
     
         16 . A method of generating a visual representation of a search result, comprising,
 receiving a search result content item;   identifying one or more components of the content item as preview image candidates that may be included in a generated preview image;   ranking the preview image candidates according to one or more ranking variables;   selecting a highest ranked preview image candidate;   generating the preview image for the content item from the highest ranked preview image candidate; and   presenting the generated preview image in a user interface as a visual representation of the content item.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising weighting each of the one or more ranking variables so that a given ranking variable may be weighted more than another ranking variable in determining whether a given preview image candidate may be included in the generated preview image. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein generating the preview image for the content item from the highest ranked preview image candidate includes generating the preview image by one or more of:
 generating a preview image from an image extracted from the content item;   generating the preview image from a plurality of images extracted from the content item;   generating the preview image from a screenshot of a portion of the content item;   generating the preview image from a plurality of screenshots of one or more portions of the content item;   generating the preview image with a background color and a portion of text extracted from the content item;   generating the preview image from an object extracted from the content item;   generating the preview image from text contained in the content item as a tag cloud where words with a large number of occurrences in the content item are rendered with larger fonts, but common words that occur in any content item may be ignored;   generating the preview image as a cropped version of an image that lives in the content item;   generating the preview image as a collage of a plurality of objects contained in the content item;   generating the preview image as a collage of screenshots of N pages, slides, or sheets contained in the content item;   generating the preview image as quote extracted from the content item;   generating the preview image as a tag cloud of the most used numbers in a spreadsheet document;   generating the preview image as a picture obtained from an external source that represents the most frequent terms in the content item; and   generating the preview image as an auto-generated table, chart, or other visual representation of one or more data items contained in the content item   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , prior to identifying one or more components of the content item as preview image candidates that may be included in a generated preview image, further comprising:
 determining a file format for the content item for identifying one or more preview image sources that may be used for identifying one or more components of the content item as preview image candidates; and   selecting a preview image source for identifying one or more components of the content item as preview image candidates;   
     
     
         20 . A system for generating a visual representation of a search result, comprising:
 one or more processors; and   a memory coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more processors operable to:
 receive a search result content item; 
 select a preview image source for identifying and obtaining one or more components of the content item as preview image candidates that may be included in a preview image for the content item; 
 rank the preview image candidates according to one or more ranking variables; 
 weight each of the one or more ranking variables so that a given ranking variable may be weighted more than another ranking variable in determining whether a given preview image candidate may be included in the generated preview image; 
 select a highest ranked preview image candidate for inclusion in the generated preview image; 
 generate a preview image for the content item using the selected highest ranked preview image candidate for the preview image; and 
 present the generated preview image in a user interface as a visual representation of the content item.